


Like Someone Cared

by endlcss_possibilities



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 17:57:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14878565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endlcss_possibilities/pseuds/endlcss_possibilities
Summary: Quiet.He was too quiet.For as long as Chase had known him, he’d never known Jack to be a reserved man.





	Like Someone Cared

Quiet.

He was too quiet.

For as long as Chase had known him, he’d never known Jack to be a reserved man.

No, Jack was always upbeat and boisterous, a counterpoint to Chase’s own natural quiet nature.

Anyone who knew Chase might think that he was always loud and energetic, but that was simply an act, a face he put on for the general public. When he was at home or with people who actually knew him, Chase was actually a pretty introverted person, preferring to stay at home and play video games rather than go out and party. 

Chase sighed, lowering his head to rest his chin in his hands.

Jack looked way too small and still in the hospital bed, the ever-present metronome of his heart monitor droning in Chase’s ears, seeming to drown out any other noise. 

Chase had taken to sitting with Jack for a while every few days, just talking to him or reading to him.

A well kept secret was that Chase really liked poetry. Any kind, from sonnets to beat poetry, he absorbed it all. So that’s what he read to Jack, hoping that something,  _ anything _ would spark something in the man and make him wake up. 

Henrik kept saying that Jack had to wake up on his own, that he had to  _ want _ to fight and  _ want _ to wake up. Chase had argued that Jack had several reasons to want to wake up, but Henrik had just smiled sadly down at the figure on the bed.

“It’s not as easy as you might think, breaking the hold Anti has on him. I’m sure he’s trying, but he must be tired of fighting by now. All we can do is give him encouragement.”

So Chase talked, told Jack about Sam and Grayson, how they were doing, what they were learning about in school, how his own life was going, anything he could think of. He didn’t know what the others spoke with him about (or “spoke”, in JJ’s case…) but he knew they all visited Jack every once in a while. 

“Everyone’s rooting for you Jack. We’re all here for you.” Chase reached over, took Jack’s cold hand in his own. A small snap of static electricity made him pause, but he chalked it up to the dry winter air outside. “I know you can wake up…”

Here Chase paused, the warm prick of tears making him choke up.

“You’re my best friend, Jack, you have to wake up,” he whispered. “I know I have the others, but you’re my  _ best friend _ ! I know you can do this.”

“Well isn’t that  _ touching _ .”

Chase’s head snapped up, almost painfully quick, eyes focused on the glitching figure that was leaning arrogantly by the doorway.

“Fuck off.”

“Ooh someone’s angry.” Anti pushed up off the wall, stalking over to hover above Jack’s bed. Chase jumped to his feet and stepped forward.

“I said fuck off.”

“What are you going to do, Chase?” Anti’s eyes narrowed. “You do remember what happened last time you tried to get in my way, don’t you?”

Chase flinched. Last time, Anti had caused him to hallucinate that he’d shot himself in the head, and the resulting paranoia and depression had nearly made him kill himself for real. It was only through Henrik’s intervention that he’d recovered.

Chase shook his head and straightened back up, resolved not to back down to Anti again, but the glitch had very obviously seen his initial balking. 

“That’s right Chase, just stay out of my way and I won’t have to hurt you again. Oh wait, I didn’t hurt you in the first place; you managed that job quite nicely by yourself, didn’t you?”

“I won’t let you hurt him, Anti, and you’re not going to win,” Chase said firmly. “Jack’s going to wake up and-”

“And everything will just go back to normal? I don’t think so,” Anti spat. “Things will never be normal for any of you now!”

~~~

Chase jerked awake, automatically looking around the room for any signs of Anti. But the glitch was nowhere to be found and Chase sank back into his chair with a sigh, taking off his hat to ruffle a shaky hand through his hair.

That had all been a dream then…

Chase looked down at Jack, who was still unconscious, looking for all the world as though he were just peacefully asleep. No one would ever think that he was actually fighting a murderous glitch for his life. 

Still unconscious, yet…

When Chase looked closer, the hand that Chase had kept ahold of somehow had its fingers clearly curled around Chase’s own, though they hadn’t started out that way. 

“Jack?”

No response, but somehow Chase felt reassured. It was the same feeling as when Jack did something dumb to try and cheer him up when he was feeling down. 

Like someone cared about him...

Chase jumped when a quiet knock came at the door, but it was only Henrik, who looked surprised at Chase’s reaction.

“Are you alright? I didn’t scare you, did I?”

Chase glanced down at Jack, then back up at the doctor.

“Nah, I guess I just fell asleep and had a bad dream.”

“You should go home and get some rest,” Henrik said softly, resting a gentle hand on Chase’s shoulder. Chase looked up at him and smiled.

_ Like someone cared about him. _

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

A familiar giggle echoed around the room, though judging from Henrik’s unchanged expression, it was only meant for Chase’s ears.

Still, he repeated himself, feeling confident for once since this whole thing had started.

“Nothing I can’t handle.”


End file.
